Congress wants to know your caste before you join the Grand Old Party

The online enrollment form for joining the Congress party, requires not just filling the category but also the specific caste names of applicants.

This comes as a change in tactic by the Congress, from its earlier stand on the issue of caste census when it was in power at the Centre.

The form which is available online at www.inc.in, asks for “additional profile information” including photograph, date of birth, gender, category and caste, while in category, an applicant has to choose from general, most backward caste, minority, other backward caste, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and NT/VJNT (nomadic tribe or Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes).

Though spelling out the caste is not mandatory in the online form for Congress membership, it has raised the public’s eyebrows.

National Dalit Movement for Justice general secretary Ramesh Nathan said, “Legally speaking, asking the caste of a person is not a violation of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

“But the larger question here is of propriety. Why in this day and age does anyone need to know your caste? Why does a political organisation need your caste for the membership? If an applicant is applying for job or a seat under the quota, then also the government asks only for the category not the caste” , he said.

The move is being viewed as a classic case of caste vote-bank politics by some activists.

Asha Kowtal, general secretary, All India Mahila Adhikar Manch says, “It is a larger game plan of using caste as a political currency.

While the form on the site asks for the caste, the hard copy obtained from the party office only asks for the category.

The main Congress rival, BJP, however, does not require the disclosure of caste or pointing the category, for applicants to become its members.

The BJP was on Tuesday set to return to power in its southern bastion Karnataka as its candidates crossed the half-way mark in vote count, stunning and ousting the ruling Congress and leaving the JD-S at the third spot.

Noisy celebrations broke out in party offices in Bengaluru, New Delhi and across Karnataka as Bharatiya Janata Party nominees were on the victory lap in 118 of the 222 constituencies which voted on Saturday.

This was a dramatic jump from the 40 seats the BJP won five years ago.

The Congress, desperate to retain power in the state amid shrinking appeal nationally, suffered major blows and was ahead only in 62 seats, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah trailing in both the constituencies he contested: Badami and Chamundeshwari.

The Congress leader was way behind G.T Deve Gowda of the Janata Dal-Secular in Chamundeshwari, Election Commission officials said. And after leading initially, Siddaramaiah fell behind B.R. Sriramulu of the BJP in Badami.

In contrast, the BJP’s Chief Ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa was ahead of his Congress rival by more than 11,000 votes in Shikaripura.

Energy Minister and Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar said that the numbers indicated that his party was on the way out after five years in power.

Any party or grouping will need 113 of the total 224 seats to secure a majority in the Assembly. Polling did not take place in two constituencies on Saturday.

The BJP was overjoyed. “We are in a jubilant mood because we have crossed the half-way mark. We are confident of winning,” spokesman S. Shantharam told IANS.

BJP activists and leaders celebrated noisily in both Bengaluru and New Delhi, waving party flags and shouting slogans hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, their main vote-getter, and party President Amit Shah.

There were also celebrations outside the residence of Yeddyurappa, who has been Chief Minister earlier too.

Karnataka Polls counting suggests big win for BJP, wikimedia commons

The Janata Dal-Secular of former Prime Minister H.D. Dewe Gowda, which has been expected to play the role of a kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly, was leading in 40 seats — the same number it won five years ago.

As the vote count progressed, BJP leaders became assertive, saying they were confident of taking power again in Karnataka while Congress leaders began to speak about the possibility of an alliance with the JD-S.

BJP leader and Union Minister Sadanand Gowda said that there was no question of any alliance.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who is in charge of Karnataka, met BJP President Amit Shah in New Delhi.

Analysts said the BJP was leading in Lingayat dominated seats and the JD-S in Vokkaliga dominated areas.

Expectations of a BJP victory in Karnataka lifted the key Indian equity indices during the mid-morning trade session on Tuesday.